The Games We Play
by incendioreality
Summary: It's sixth year, as prefects Hermione and Draco are forced to live with each other. Will their games end in a blood bath or in something more? The tables get turned for our favorite enemies. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1 Let the Games BeginHPOV

It was a crisp fall day, Hermione watched the leaves fall from the trees around her. This year was going to be different, she could feel it in the air. Her, Ron, Harry, Luna, Neville, and Ginny had just boarded their carriage up to Hogwarts and she found herself feeling optimistic about this year. This was her second year as a prefect and Dumbledore had changed some things around. They now had Prefect Dorms along with the Prefect's Bathroom. She knew that the Prefects could change every year but her position had held and she was ecstatic. Ron's had not unfortunately and Hermione tired not to let her mind wander to the possibility of she and Ron sharing a dorm. Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Ginny and they began talking animatedly about the promises this year held. Ginny was seeing Dean Thomas and Hermione loved hearing of her friends love life. Seeing as her own was nonexistent she had been living vicariously through her flirtatious friend.

Once they arrived, the group made their way to the Great Hall. All of the old familiar faces were there and she felt her previous rush of excitement again. After Dumbledore's depressing speech, the Gryffindors tucked into their dinners. Everyone was catching up on the summers goings on. A few kids began to talk about The Dark Lords return but quieted when they saw how close Harry was sitting. Hermione saw her friends jaw clench and she grabbed his hand under the table, giving it a thoughtful squeeze.

Harry looked up at her as he gave her hand a squeeze back ,"It's fine, Mione. I'm fine," His voice was tense but she could see he was indeed okay.

She felt Ron's eyes before she looked up at him, he was staring at the pair of them with a slightly accusatory look and Hermione bristled. Why did he always think something was going on between she and Harry? Harry was her brother and that was final. Hermione shot him a look that sent Ron's eyes back to his plate of food. Harry had already had a rough encounter with Malfoy before they came in. Harry had been late to dinner because of it and it had cost him a broken nose, which Luna had promptly fixed. Since his name had passed through her mind, Hermione's eyes fell to the Slytherin in question. She could spot Malfoy's pale blonde hair anywhere. He was looking very sullen, brooding silently as his friends all laughed around him. Hermione was puzzled, despite herself, this was very unlike Malfoy. Every other year you would find him poking fun at everyone just like his house mates. Why was she so concerned? To take her mind off of her questions, she gossiped with Ginny until they were dismissed.

As her friends made their way to their respective dorms, Hermione went to Dumbledore's office. The Prefects would meet with him first and then they would be taken to their new dorms. If she was correct, their was only one prefect from each house this year. It was a much more selective process than usual but that was just fine by her. Hermione passed through the open office door and found she was not the first one there for once.

"Luna! You're a prefect this year?," Hermione said as she caught sight of her friend. Maybe she would room with Luna?

"Yes, indeed I am. I'm quite perplexed as to why but Dumbledore must have his reasons," As she finished she smiled fondly at the aged man in front of them.

Hermione received a nod from the wizard and she took her seat. "We're just waiting for the men now, ladies," Dumbledore murmured, seemingly lost in thought.

Hermione was wondering who the Hufflepuff and Slytherin representatives would be just as they walked through the door. Justin Finch-Fletchley and Draco Malfoy took their respective seats. Justin eyed Hermione appreciatively and gave her a small wave. Malfoy simply looked at her then away, disinterested.

"Okay now that you are all here, I'd like to congratulate you on being this years Hogwarts Prefects," Dumbledore said fondly ,"This year, I'm hoping you all will help keep the peace in the castle and keep everything under control. As it was stated in your letters, this year you have your own dorms. One of the dorms is in the right corridor of the third floor and the other is placed in the left corridor on the same floor. Most people would expect me to put the girls with each other and vice versa for the gentleman. However, I'm doing something different," Hermione's daydream of rooming with Luna vanished and she felt herself freeze, No. She held her breath as the man in front of them continued ,"The room pairings will be: Mr. Finch-Fletchley and Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger. Any problems?"

"Several!," Hermione said in a shrilly voice ,"Professor, may I ask why on Earth I have been placed where I am?"

"Yes, I'm wondering that as well," Draco said, the room announcements had taken him out of his mood and he looked just as concerned as Hermione.

Dumbledore surprised them both by smiling knowingly at the pair ,"I have my reasons. The rooms will not be changed so both of you should forget that idea as well," Hermione's face fell and Malfoy ran a frustrated hand through his pale locks ,"Now, I shall escort you to your rooms. Let us go,"

Hermione barely felt her legs as she followed the gray haired man and she did not dare a glance at Malfoy. As Dumbledore dropped Luna and Justin off at their respective dorm, Hermione vowed to try and be as mature as possible in this situation even though she knew how terrible her temper was when it came to him. Dumbledore bid them goodnight and gave them that look again, leaving them to decide on a password for their entrance. Their portrait was of a duel, ironically.

"You're the smart one Granger, use that Gryffindor brain," Draco drawled out. Shivering despite herself, Hermione racked her brain for an appropriate password.

"Pasties," She muttered and the swordsmen bowed to them as the portrait swung open.

The unlikely pair stepped through the portrait right into their own common room. It was quite cozy, a large couch, love seat, and arm chair set with blankets on each in a mixture of green, silver, gold, and red. She saw Draco give a disgusted look at the gold and red quilt out of the corner of her eye and she rolled her eyes and took a walk around the room. Hermione spotted a bookshelf and beelined for it.

"Don't roll your eyes, Granger," She whipped her head around at him and gave him a peeved look ,"I miss nothing, Granger. Oh look who went straight for the books, what a surprise," He sneered.

"Oh, don't be such a prat," She huffed, already exasperated by him. "Not two minutes in a room-"

"Don't start with me, Mudblood, I've had a rough night," He smirked when he saw her freeze where she was.

Hermione saw red. She had her wand out so fast that even Malfoy looked stunned ,"Alright, I thought we would have to do this. Listen here ferret boy, let's lay down some rules for this year. You will not call me that name as long as we are living in the same space, do you understand me? Living with you will be unberable, I don't need you being a prejudiced, spoiled brat along with it. Do I make myself clear, Malfoy?" She said his name with such disgust. She saw something glint in his eye and she could not understand what it was.

"Crystal fucking clear, Granger," He said with another trademark smirk ,"You certainly have gotten brave haven't you? Forever a Gryffindor,"

"My right hook wasn't brave enough for you, Malfoy?" It was her turn to smirk as she saw him remember their incident third year.

"Point for you, congratulations. Let's all clap for, Granger," He clapped mockingly but Hermione could tell she had won this one.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Malfoy," She said sarcastically," It's not pure of you," She laughed haughtily at her own blood status jab and she began to saunter to her room when she felt him grab her arm.

He spun her around so fast it made her head spin. His grip on her wrist was tight and his face was too close for her liking ,"Look whose making jokes now. You think because you're Gryffindor's Golden Girl every one will ignore that you're muggle-born," He spat out the word like it left a foul taste in his mouth ,"They can build you up all they want, Granger, but you aren't as perfect as they make you out to be. You may be intelligent but your blood is still as filthy as the mud in the black lake-"

Hermione didn't let him finnish his rude sentence, Draco may have had her left arm pinned but he had forgotten about her right. She pulled her fist back and snapped it forward, sufficiently punching him in the mouth. He released her left arm, backing away while wiping the blood trickling from his split lip.

"You had better learn to watch your damn mouth Draco or you're going to be visiting the Infirmary every night," Her words held just as much hatred as his had ,"What, just because I don't put myself on a damn pedestal for the world to kiss my feet, I'm not worthy of your respect? Not all of us follow our daddy's around in hopes of being the next great Death Eater. Letting mommy fold your suits in neat little squares so you can strut around school and look down your nose at people-"

"Don't you dare talk about my mother," He snarled

"I'll do whatever I like Draco and I will talk about whoever I damn well please. You want to disrespect me, fine, but I can and will do it right back. I will show you as much respect as you show me so I think we're even," She growled her words at him.

She held her ground as he stalked over to her, looming his tall frame over her small one. He glared at her and she glared right back. They held their stares, waiting for the other to falter, but Hermione held strong.

Draco broke the silence ,"Well looky here, the Lioness has finally grown some balls. You want respect? Well, look somewhere else for it. I openly dislike you and the nitwits you call friends. Scarhead and the Weasel aren't going to help you once you're behind these walls, Granger so I hope your new found courage holds through. I do like a challenge."

She did not understand the last part but before she could retort he brushed past her and into his own room, slamming the door hard enough to make the walls shake. Hermione went into her room and slammed the door even harder. She let out a big breath as she threw herself on her bed. this was only the first night of the year and she was already thinking of hexes to throw at that prestigious blonde head. And what had he meant about 'liking a challenge'? She didn't understand it but she knew she didn't like it. Was he devising some sort of plan to mess with her? Maybe saying that was the plan and it was indeed messing with her head. Hermione tried to rid herself of Malfoy by taking a shower. Her plan was almost soiled when she entered the bathroom that he also had a door adjoining his bedroom to the bathroom. She shed her robes and took a look in the mirror, she really had grown up. Her body wasn't stick thin but she wasn't voluptuous by any means. She was slender but with curves in the right places. Hermione was also blessed in the bosom area and he hair was less frizzy. She climbed into the shower and let the warm spray wash away all traces of the Slytherin Prince from her mind.

Once she thought she was clean and exhausted she wrapped herself in a towel and bent down to pick up her clothing when she heard a scuffle behind the opposite door. As soon as she had heard the sound, Malfoy burst through the door. He stood there, taking in Hermione's attire. She saw him staring and she couldn't help but smirk, Draco Malfoy was checking out a muggle born. She purposely bent over slowly to grab her last piece of clothing from the floor and she saw his eyes spark.

"My apologies, I must have taken too long. Good night Malfoy," She said in an innocent voice, while turning on her heel and walking out of the bathroom with a little swing to her hips.

Point one for Hermione.


	2. Chapter 2 Changes DPOV

Draco did not sleep soundly that night. He was kept up by the things Granger had said. He cursed himself for letting that little bitch get to him. She didn't know what was happening with his family, who was she to judge him? The Daily Prophet had had a story about his family's downfall. His stupid father had gotten himself locked up in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. No one knew it yet but he was no longer there, not many of the former Death Eaters were actually. Voldemort worked silently when it came to big things like a massive break out at Azkaban. So, Lucius was back but his mind was even more twisted than before. Draco had had about enough of his father. Which is why he had not objected to Hermione's stupid statement about "the next Great Death Eater". What made his blood boil was what she had said about his mother. She, and the rest of the wizarding world, acted as if all his mother was put on this earth to do was stand behind his father and do everything for Draco. Yes that may have been how it looked on the surface, but Narcissa had a bigger part than anyone could have imagined. Draco admired his mother more than he had ever admired his father. She knew that his father had turned dark, but she had no choice but to stay with him. Draco and his mother both hated their place in Wizarding society but they had to deal with the hand they were dealt. Narcissa divorcing Lucius would have ruined the entire Malfoy name. Her place in the Death Eater matter was small, she was only there to put up a facade of loyalty to both the Dark Lord and Lucius. Her only true loyalty was to her son and Malfoy knew that. At that very moment she was doing everything she could to persuade her husband to not have Draco become a Death Eater. All may be lost for his stupid father, but Draco was determined not to follow in his foot steps. He had wanted to be just like his father a long time ago but he had seen the man for what he really was, a scared spineless bigot who's only leg to stand on was that of "blood purity".

Draco knew better though, which brought him back to Granger. He honestly wasn't prejudice anymore. He never was, he thought, it was more his fathers influence. However, for a while now he hasn't thought badly of muggle born witches and wizards. Draco did think that muggles were beneath him because of their lack of magic and he had always thought that. All of the names he called Hermione and the rude comments were just to piss her off. He still loathed her but not because of her blood status. Hermione Granger was the most insufferable person he had ever met. She was a know-it-all and she was incredibly annoying. She was judgmental beyond the normal standards, especially when it came to Draco. Yes, she had a right to be wary of him but she did not have a right to pass judgment on him. That's why he had lost it tonight. She thinks she knows him like a damn book when she doesn't know him at all. And then he had to go into that bathroom. Draco wished more than anything that at that moment he had had some patience. There she was in a towel and bent over picking up her clothing. She looked so innocent and soft, he couldn't help the thoughts that had flooded his mind. He did not not whether to yell at her for taking so long or to fuck her senseless. Draco blanched at himself, was he really thinking that about _Hermione Granger_? He hated her with every fiber of his being, but why did she have to be so… He did not even know what to call her. All Draco knew was that this year was going to be different from the rest of them. Hopefully, he would come out of it without a broken nose.

After four full hours of sleep, Draco reluctantly pried open his eyes. They shut automatically, rejecting the fact that he was awake. His body however was more responsive. Rubbing his eyes, Draco made his way to the bathroom. He stumbled in and locked his door behind him. He took off his loose pajama bottoms and climbed into the shower. The water was warm enough to coax open his tired eyes and soothe his aching muscles. After he thought he was clean, Draco got out of the shower, wrapping a towel low around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror and vowed to his reflection that he would indeed make it through this day. He had not gotten thirty seconds into brushing his teeth before the door to his left burst open. Draco, toothbrush still in his mouth, turned his head slowly to face the frozen girl next to him. He expected her to be ogling his towel clad body but her face was contorted in anger.

"It makes sense to take FOREVER while showering at night but really, Malfoy? In the morning? I have to use this bathroom too and I'm not going to be late for breakfast just because you need to primp!," Hermione was screaming by the end of her rant and Draco was as much amused as she was angry.

He had at least twelve retorts swarming his brain so he picked out the most appropriate and most civil ,"Get out, Granger and stop screaming at me," He forced his tone to be dismissive and indifferent.

"EXCUSE ME? Listen, Malfoy-" He held up a hand and spit out into the sink.

After he sufficiently rinsed his mouth out, Draco turned to her ,"No, you listen. I'm the one who had to wait ten years for a shower last night. You taking forever last night cause me to take forever this morning. So really, this is your fault, as usual. So if you will excuse me I'm going to go get dressed. Have fun taming your hair." He turned his back on her then and began walking out the door.

He heard a rather barbaric screech before he was hit in the back with a hex. His whole body felt sore with the force of it and his breathing was uneven as he rose to his feet.

"You. Stupid. Insufferable. Annoying. BINT!," Draco snarled at Hermione through clenched teeth ,"You could have actually hurt me you twat!,"She had had a pleased look on her face but he was soon replaced by another mask of rage. It was his turn to be satisfied, "Oh Salazar thank you, you've finally shut your gob. Now as I was saying, do not ever throw a hex at me again or I will stun you so hard you'll be blasted to the shrieking shack," With that he turned on his heel away from her contorted expression ,"Have a lovely day, Mudblood,"

Draco slammed his bathroom door effectively before he locked it. As much as he disliked her, he enjoyed fighting with Granger. He could always make her eyes spark with fury and he loved it. Her cheeks would flush to an angry red and tiny hands would ball into fists. Fighting with her was like taking a shot of firewhiskey. He believed he had one that battle and redeemed himself for his loss last night.

After Draco had had his fill at breakfast, he reluctantly started his day. Every year he would bust his balls to get good grades but this year he didn't really see the point. He didn't think he would be coming back to Hogwarts next year. He had told Blaise and Pansy but the pair had only scoffed at him. They didn't realize how serious he was about not coming back. Supposedly, daddy dearest had some plans for him but they weren't the same as Draco's. His father wanted him to become a Death Eater and Draco promptly told him to fuck off. Yet, his father still insists that whether Draco liked it or not he would bear the Mark by the end of this year. That meant that was how long Draco had to come up with a plan to get away from his father. His mother knew all about it and said she would play her part as well as she could. He had thought about being a type of vagabond, camping out where he could and living off of the land and such. Draco knew himself too well for that though, he knew he wouldn't last two days out there alone. He thought about staying in pubs permanently but the Death Eaters would be checking there. He had quite some time to figure it all out but he wanted a solid plan by spring so he could start to prepare. He knew how to prepare himself physically and he's been ready for this mentally but it's the extraneous details he need to plan out.

The rest of his day Draco racked his brain for ideas, studiously ignoring every lecture that was given. Come lunch time, his brain was tired and all he wanted was to eat. He took his usual seat across from Blaise and started shoveling food onto his plate. He only noticed Blaise staring at him once he had started eating.

"What?," Draco demanded, suspicious of his friend

"Nothing," Blaise said, seeming to shake off whatever he was thinking ,"So how goes the prefect life? I got paired with Nott this year since you abandoned me," Blaise grabbed his chest like his heart was breaking, making Draco snicker.

"I'd rather be paired with Nott, mate," Draco's voice lowered so that only the Italian wizard across from him could hear ,"I'm rooming with Granger, unfortunately,"

Draco was shocked that Blaise was not as horrified as he had been. "Well that's not so bad. I have a few classes with her and we're actually quite friendly,"

Draco's jaw fell open at his friends words ,"You're telling me that you are actually _friends_ with that thing?,"

"Yes, Draco," Blaise responded with an eye roll ,"I am indeed friends with her. I wouldn't mind being more though, she's quite the minx this year. Her hair has definitely calmed down," Draco thought he had been sucked into an alternate universe.

"i can't take this. You're a nutter," He said seriously ,"Blaise, how can you ever say that about, Granger? She's utterly infuriating!,"

Blaise smirked at the angry blonde ,"She's only irritating to you, Malfoy, because you two are the same person. You're both too smart for your own good, you're both stubborn, and you both are stuck in your own ways. She really isn't that bad, Draco," Blaise's voice was mocking and Draco didn't like it.

"We already fought," Draco said, dismissing the other topic.

"Of course you did," Blaise shook his head," What did you two row about this time?"

"Well… first it was because I called her a mudblood. She punched me in the bloody lip!," Draco pointed to his still healing lip "Then it was because I took too long in the shower this morning but that was because she took too long in the shower last night!"

"If you haven't noticed, Draco, all of your arguments start because you do something. Maybe you should make more of an effort to keep some peace. Or you'll have a split lip every night," Blaise had turned to his mentoring side then. "And do not call her that foul word again, Malfoy, I mean it,"

He saw his friends serious brown eyes staring back at him and he knew Blaise was right ,"Fine. I'll try and keep the M word to a minimum," They rose from their seats to go to Potions ,"But if she provokes me, I'm retaliating,"

The topic of Hermione Granger was not brought up the rest of the day. Draco did notice that Blaise and Hermione were indeed friends. They chatter through potions, laughing and gesturing with each other. Draco was quite unnerved by how pleasant Granger looked then. Maybe it was him that was always a git. No, it was her. She was just… Granger. Draco pushed his thoughts of her aside and left his last class early. He muttered their ridiculous password and walked through the portrait. Granger had beat him back to the room and was lying on the couch reading a book. Draco went into the kitchen and grabbed himself an apple, refusing to make a comment about how much of a bookworm she was. He bit into the apple with a loud crunch and Hermione looked up at him like he had shot her nasty cat, who was curled up by her feet giving him a similar glare.

"What?," Draco said, mouth full of apple.

Hermione huffed out some air and looked back down at her book, ignoring him. He could see that whatever he had done had angered her. He couldn't help retracing his steps to see what he had done. The crunch his apple made irritated her, Draco smirked to himself. He couldn't resist riling her up, it was just too much fun. He took a large bite out of his apple, crunching even loud than before. Hermione's head snapped up and she glared at him when he started chewing loudly. He smiled at her and waved, she just looked back at her book but he could tell she wasn't reading. If he knew Granger's temper as good as he thought he did, one more bite and she would be screaming, eye ablaze. So Draco took one more big hunk out of his apple and with a loud crack Hermione slammed her book closed. She was rising from her seat now and her eyes were that mixture of fire and chocolate that Draco enjoyed so thoroughly. She was stalking toward him like the Gryffindor Lioness she was and he couldn't help to think back to Blaise's comment about her being 'quite a minx' this year.

She reached him and snatched the apple out of his hand then threw out into the trash can ,"What. In. Hell. Are. You. PLAYING AT?," She yelled in his face.

Yes, this was the Granger he was accustomed to ,"That was very rude of you Granger, I was enjoying that apple," He forced his eyes to look innocent.

"Don't give me that look,Malfoy! I know you were just trying to bother me." She saw right through him and it astounded him.

"What ever do you mean?," He said mockingly ,"I was simply hungry,"

"Dinner is in half an hour! You couldn't wait?," She was talking through her teeth now.

"Nope, I couldn't. Too hungry, thought I was going to pass out," He said, jokingly pretending to faint against the counter.

"You are a childish prick," She muttered and began to walk to her room.

"Uptight bint," He threw back.

"Sodding idiot," She said and then shut her door so he couldn't get the last word.

Now that she was gone Draco was quite bored. He realized that they had passed just enough time and it was time for dinner. He left the room and made his way down to the Great Hall. Blaise caught sight of Draco's please expression and scowled at him.

"What on Earth has gotten you so happy?," Blaise's voice was deadpanned and Draco knew that was bad.

Before Draco could explain, the two boys saw Hermione walk into the Great hall, her eyes were a bit red and her face was a mask of indifference. She sat down with Weaslebee and Potter and they both seemed to attack her with questions. She shook her head and muttered something to them. And then their eyes found his and Weasley's hair seemed to get even more red. Draco glared back at the ginger, not paying attention to Potter who was studying him closely. Hermione's small hand shot out and pulled on Ron's shoulder, turning him around. Draco's eyes shot to hers and she looked at him for a moment and then looked back to her food. Blaise's cough was the only thing that shook him out of his stare.

"What did you do to her?," Blaise questioned.

"We fought again, I provoked her," Blaise's mouth opened to start yelling but Draco continued anyway ,"I can't help it! I enjoy arguing with her too much. I'll… say something to her later." Draco didn't like the word apologize. He never apologized to anyone.

"You'd better, Malfoy," Blaise said threateningly.

Dinner went by quickly and Draco was warily standing outside of the portrait. He didn't know what to say to her and he felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. When he finally plucked up the courage to say the password, the portrait swung open and out walked Hermione. She stopped when she almost ran into him and swiftly moved around him.

"We have duty tonight, Malfoy," She said professionally ," Do you have your wand?," He nodded dumbly, looking away from her ,"Good let's go."

She stormed ahead of him and he walked silently behind her. This was how it went for most of their duty. He studied her as she inspected the halls. She was quite instinctive as she moved and he grudgingly admitted to himself that Blaise had been right. She had changed a lot. Her hair was much less of a bush and her body had certainly blossomed. When Draco realized he was staring her looked away quickly, pretending to check a dark corridor. Soon their duty was done and they were going back into their dorms. She was stalking towards her room and Draco reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She looked like she was about to hex him but he spoke before she could utter a spell ,"I… I did not mean to make you cry," He said stoically. Avoiding the word 'sorry' at all costs, he had to keep some of his pride in tact.

She looked bewildered to say the least and Draco was worried she might be having some sort of fit. "I… thank you… Draco," She murmured.

He let go of her wrist like it had shocked him. What was he doing? He was not making nice with, Granger. She was the brains of the Golden Trio and someone he had hated all of his school years. He nodded curtly and then stormed into his room, slamming his door.

Three nights with this girl and he almost uttered an apology? What was wrong with him? Not even contemplating putting on pajamas. He threw off his robes and climbed into bed in his boxers. Draco slept restlessly that night, a pillow over his ear to help him ignore the sound of Hermione in the shower.


	3. Chapter 3 Ghosts HPOV

For the next few weeks, Hermione felt like she was the only one living in the Prefect Dorm. After that night, Draco was like a ghost. He hardly ever came out of his room the few times he was there and left even earlier than Hermione did for breakfast. She saw him during classes, during their Prefect rounds, and during meals. The meals and classes should not even count because they were from afar. Hermione was perplexed. Draco had actually been pleasant that odd night where he some what apologized to her for being such an ass. She found herself missing their bickering and his stupid smirks. This new Draco, the phantom roommate that he was, was not what she was used to. Hermione began to make out a pattern in his routine though. He would shower extremely early, dress, and leave for breakfast. She would see him through out the day periodically and then after dinner he was not in their room. He would come in rather late and the one time Hermione stayed up studying in the commons, he had come in in what seemed to be exercising clothes and he looked like he had been swimming. Whatever was going on, Hermione didn't like it.

Today had been the first day in two weeks that Draco had acknowledged her. They were in potions and Professor Slugghorn had three cauldrons placed in the middle of the room. He asked someone to identify each potion and Hermione promptly raised her hand. The first two had been easy to point out, the last however confused her at first. She felt eyes on her the whole time she was in the middle of the room but they felt more urgent now. She had looked at the Professor for guidance and all he said was to tell the class what she smelled. Hermione did not understand this potion until she paid attention to the smells coming from the cauldron. She started listing the attributes of the potion and what exactly it was, an extremely powerful love potion. It smelled different to each person and the scents would be what attracted the person most. Then she started listing the things she smelled like freshly mown grass, new parchment, and spearmint toothpaste. Her head snapped back from the potion slightly as she mulled over those scents. Hermione turned to walk back to her place and she saw him. Draco was staring at her intently and she could not take the intensity of his gaze. She was thankful that the rest of class was quite distracting.

Now, Hermione was at dinner listening to the boys talk about quidditch trials and she smelled one of the scents from the cauldron. The freshly mown grass was from Ron, she could smell it on him from where he was sitting beside her. She peeked over at him and he was, as usual, shoveling food into his mouth while talking. It was quite disgusting but it was comforting to Hermione somehow. She looked down at her plate quickly when she realized she had been staring. She ate in silence, thinking about both her confusing feelings for Ron and what Draco could be up to. Hermione couldn't reconcile her feelings for Ron in one sitting, he was her best friend but she could feel that she was starting to want more. However, Draco was easier to sort out. Hermione decided that she would confront Draco that night on whatever has put him in this new mood. Bidding Ginny and the boys goodnight, Hermione made her way to her dorm. Of course Draco wasn't there when she arrived, she had seen him bolt out of dinner quite early. She sat on the couch and began to read a book but she got bored quickly. Slowly rising from her seat, the witch walked into their small kitchen. There was muggle food and cooking utensils there. Hermione was quite good at making snicker doodle's, a muggle baked good, so she decided she would make a batch while she waited.

Hermione was on the couch when he came in, waiting for the cookies to be done baking. Draco was wearing running pants and a white tank top. His hair was windblown, his fringe shadowing his gray eyes. His nostrils flared and his head snapped to her form on the sofa.

"What are you doing lurking about, Granger?," He murmured, she had never been around a quiet Malfoy ,"Waiting up for me like my mother,"

"No, Draco, I just…," Hermione looked at her folded hands ,"I wanted to speak with you about something,"

"Ok, out with it. I'm quite tired and I don't need you causing me to lose sleep," He sounded agitated which made Hermione mad.

"Merlin forbid I actually want to speak with you," She snapped at him, causing his eyes to find hers again. They had turned a hard silver and they were questioning ,"What's wrong with you? You've been… odd the past few weeks."

He scoffed at her, sneering cruelly ,"Don't worry your bushy little head about me, Granger. I'm perfectly fine."

"Well you just haven't been around and we haven't-" He cut her off swiftly.

"We haven't what? We haven't been bickering? I know, it's been nice to not hear your voice for once in a blue moon." Draco sounded bored, Hermione was getting even more annoyed now.

She felt her anger flare as she rose from her place on the couch. She crossed the room in quick strides, facing him defiantly. "Why must you be such a twat? I'm asking you if anythings wrong with you and you act like I'm accusing you of murder. No one can ever be the slightest be polite to you can they?,"

"I don't like you being polite to me, I don't need or want anything from you," His nostrils flared again ,"And what the devil is that bloody smell? What have you done now? Did you set something on fire, Granger?"

"They're called cookies, git," Hermione barked at him as she walked over to the stove.

Draco looked horrified ,"What are those things? Are you trying to poison me?," He was sounded unbelievably paranoid that Hermione almost laughed.

"I wouldn't waste my time poisoning you, Ferret," She quipped, giving up on being nice to him. She placed the cookies onto he counter to cool. Facing him again ,"Fine. Be an ass then! I was just inquiring as to why you've been invisible for the past two bloody weeks,"

He smiled at her but it wasn't a happy smile it was mocking and cruel ,"Granger, anyone would pretend to be invisible if they lived with you. Why would I want to interact with you at all?," He was closing the space between them then, fixing her with a glare ,"I'd rather live with a night troll, Granger. Don't expect me to warm to you and your muggle ways just because I'm being forced to share a living space with you."

Hermione's stomach twisted with fury and she had the urge to reintroduce him to her right fist ,"What exactly do you get out of being such an ass Malfoy? Does your daddy give you a special pure blood plaque or do you like the feeling of your head inflating even more than it already has? Congratulations on being so pathetic that you have to put people down to feel good about yourself," Hermione tried walking around him but the pale wizard in front of her turn suddenly.

Forcing her to back into a wall, Draco place a hand on either side of her head ,"Pathetic, hm? I'm PATHETIC?," He was yelling in her face now and he slammed his fist against the wall beside her head ,"Don't ever call me pathetic when you trail after the great Harry Potter. One of his sidekicks till the end, always standing behind someone else. You can't even do anything by yourself! You have to have the two dicks you call friends helping you along the way the entire time. Sitting there waiting and wishing that one day you'll be the next Weaslette. Don't think no one can see the way you look at him!," Draco's voice was changing now and it was scaring Hermione out of her skin ,"You call me and my family pathetic. Look at your own life before you judge me, Granger because you don't know me!"

Hermione felt her self trembling and she knew she could not open her mouth let alone force words out of it. Draco was still towering over her, glaring steadily. Why did she bate him, why did she have to wait up for him? Malfoy, blew out a breath and then stalked away into his room. When he slammed his door, Hermione felt the wall that was holding her up tremble. She slid down it slowly when something dawned on her. Malfoy had been so close she could smell him. His clothes smelled of new parchment, his breath of spearmint toothpaste.

_No…_ she thought. It couldn't be… She couldn't be… Not Malfoy. She hated him! How could she ever be attracted to him in any way? Draco was arrogant, rude, a bigot, spoiled, privileged, a bully and many other terrible things. Sure he was smart and she would have to be blind if she didn't find him attractive. All Hermione knew was that she could not be attracted to the ferret. If the smells from that cauldron were the smells coming off of Draco then it must be a subconscious attraction, magic never makes mistakes. It was then that Hermione pledged to not let that play mind games with her and to never act on impulse around Malfoy.

Sleep didn't come easy to Hermione, so she stayed up. She didn't sleep that night and she heard Draco wrestling around in his sleep. That didn't help keep him off of her mind. She was trying to figure out what has been keeping him out so late ate night. It was obvious that he was training for something… But for what? The first thing she thought of was the upcoming war that she could feel coming… Was he taking a side? Was he training for the Death Eaters? No. She refused to believe that, Draco may be a vile bully but he wasn't evil. Then what was he training so hard for? Hermione heard him start moving and she looked at the clock. Five in the morning, so this is when he got up to get ready. The idea came to her mind in an instant. she got up swiftly and ran into the bathroom. He came in just as she turned the shower on, clad in pajama pants that were slung low on his waist. She felt something twist in her stomach at the sight of his bare chest but tried to ignore it.

"What. In. Hell. Are. You. DOING?," He was seething and she could care less.

"I'm taking a shower you imbecile what does it look like?," Hermione spat back at him, pulling her shirt over her head.

Draco turned away from ,"Dear Merlin, Granger put your clothes back on! I thought we had some kind of arrangement here, I shower in the morning and you shower at night. Why in hell are you doing this?," His voice was getting desperate and Hermione hated it, where was the hard hearted Malfoy? She was ready for him now, she wanted him to come back.

"Well, I'm showering whether you like it or not, Malfoy," Her voice turned mocking and she saw him almost turn around but he caught himself ,"So sorry that I'm taking up your washing time, I guess you'll have to be dirty today. I hope your parents don't disown you for being less pure-," He turned around then. Not caring that she was only in her bra and panties.

He backed her into the wall then and Hermione did not falter this time, she only stared back at him ,"You need to stop with all of this blood shit! I'm sick of it and you're pushing me too far, Granger," There noses were touching and his malevolent silver eyes were boring into hers ,"You do not on this dorm, I need to shower and such. I live here too damn it!,"

She put on a Malfoy worthy smirk ,"Oh you live here do you? You mean you _sleep_ here? You come in and out of here like a ghost. I DO own this place because I'm the only one fucking living here!," She was taken aback by her use of a swear word. She usually never swore ,"Now If you will excuse me, I'd like to shower!,"

Hermione shoved herself away from the wall, moving him off of her and out of the way in the process. She kept her eyes locked on Draco as she harshly pulled back the shower curtain and climbed into the shower. The wizard before her was staring both angrily and curiously at her as the warm water drenched her. With a 'humph' she pulled back the curtain. After she heard Malfoy leave, Hermione let herself slump against the shower wall in defeat as she took a deep breath.

She could still smell the scent of parchment on her skin.


	4. Chapter 4 Plans and Acceptance DPOV

She was the devil incarnated. Draco's thoughts were dark as he ran throughout the forbidden forest. He took this route every morning and every evening. He was running faster than usual, trying to burn off his anger and confusion. Why did she have to be so… unbearable? All Hermione did was judge him and he was getting sick of it. Draco had enough on his plate without her constantly nagging him. He had a routine to keep and she couldn't be apart of it. After the almost apology incident, Draco shut down completely. He threw himself into his planning and tried his best to keep her out of his mind.

Every morning he would shower, run, and then eat. Through his classes he would be writing out escape routes from Hogwarts, places he could go after he left, and things he needed to get. Draco had received a letter saying that the Dark Lord had given him a task. There was an old Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, the twin to the Vanishing Cabinet his mother had shown in him in Borgin and Burkes before term started. His job was to mend it so that the Death Eaters could get into Hogwarts when they were ready. At first, Draco tried to use this to his advantage, researching different Vanishing Cabinets and where they were located. He tried to see if twin cabinets could have multiple passages. Unfortunately for Draco, the twin cabinets could only have a passage between each other. So slipping away for a while was out. He had thought of buying a flat with his money in Gringotts but his father would be watching that.

So when his brain needed a break from planning, he started training. Draco ran five miles every day and he swam in the Black Lake sometimes. He was trying to expand his lung capacity so that he could either swim far distances or stay under water for a lengthy period of time. The Slytherin Prince pushed his body to the brink of exhaustion to prepare for this. He was a skilled occlumens, thanks to Snape, so he was not concerned with Voldemort's powers in that area. Draco also thought of making port keys for himself and hiding them in the forest. He had to carry out Volcemort's orders until he could make a run for it. Which meant he had to mend the cabinet and complete his second task… Draco shook his head as he jogged through the forest. He didn't want to think about his second task… He would not complete it unless he absolutely had to.

Jogging up to the castle, Draco let thoughts of her finally seep back into his brain. Why was she insisting on pushing him so far? Why was Hermione suddenly so worried about his whereabouts? He tried not to let that phase him but he couldn't help it. He did not understand why she insisted on being so nice and he did not understand why he actually liked it. Having these feelings disturbed him, his mask of indifference was so well placed that he was not used to someone breaking through it. He let his guard down for no one, not eve his mother. Draco was at their portrait in no time, muttering the password quickly. He realized that Hermione was not in so he felt a bit more at ease. He threw his shirt off and onto the couch and made his way to the bathroom. He turned the spray on and climbed into shower. Their argument not two hours ago played back in his mind. She had been so… determined and unrelenting. She had finally had the last word. Draco remembered that even in his rage he could appreciate a woman's body. Seeing her in only her bra and knickers, flushed with frustration, her hair frizzing wildly was… quite a sight to behold. He had been so close to her, their noses touching as he screamed at her. Draco had not know if he wanted to kick her out of the bathroom or take her there against the wall he had backed her into. And the when she had gotten into the shower it made his thoughts ten times as… vulgar. Her knickers turning translucent and her entire body was drenched. Hermione had been lucky she closed the curtain when she did.

Draco shook his head, the water was running cold and he had to get to class. He shut the water off and dried and dressed quickly. He did not make an effort to run to class, sauntering into potions atlas twenty minutes late, and nothing in his hands but an apple. Slugghorn gave him a stern look and pointed to a seat for him to sit in, they were taking notes today instead of mixing. The Malfoy Heir sat looking bored and eating his apple until he felt someone looking at him. He looked up and his eyes met those of a chocolate color. Granger was glaring at him for eating obnoxiously. Letting himself indulge in the moment, he winked at her and bit into his apple seductively. He almost choked on her expression. Her eyes grew incredibly wide and she seemed to need more air than she was getting. She turned away quickly, focusing on her notes. Draco couldn't help but be amused, he loved her reactions to him and he loved making her uncomfortable. When the class was let out she raced out, her two stooges in tow.

Draco made himself plan the rest of his classes, not allowing himself to get distracted. He thought more about his port key idea and he decided that was an idea to keep. He would make three but they had to be small but shiny so that if he was in the dark he would be able to see them glinting. He would make one before the death eaters came to Hogwarts so that he could get out in time. The other two he would make as needed while he was in hiding. The remainder of his school day, Draco studied the maps he had of the secret tunnels of Hogwarts. Always making sure to keep them out of sight while in the presence of teachers. It wasn't until dinner that he actually spoke to someone. As always, he took his seat across from Blaise. Giving the dark skinned wizard a nod.

"How're things, Blaise? Good day?," Malfoy murmured as he put food on his plate. Blaise was really his only friend anymore, the only person he could trust.

"Can't complain, Slugghorn asked me to join his little club today. I only said yes to make my mother happy," Blaise, like Draco, only really cared for his mother. She kept him out of sight of the Death Eaters and out of trouble.

"That's probably riotous group, eh?," Malfoy snickered.

Blaise rolled his eyes at the blonde ,"Oh yes, great company," Sarcasm written all over his face ,"The only person I really talk to there is Hermione. You should have seen Potter's face when she was talking to me. He looked like he may have keeled over."

Draco's head came up at her name ,"Don't joke about Potter's death, I may get my hopes up. Granger's in the Slug Club is she? No surprise there," He tried to sound like he didn't care but Blaise saw right through him.

The wizard fixed him with a questioning look ,"You two getting on better?,"

"Ah, not exactly. She wasn't too happy with me this morning and purposely cause a fight," He put his hands up in defense when Blaise gave him a skeptical look ,"Honest, mate, she knows I shower in the mornings and she got up extra early to try and shower before me so I told her to please get out so I could shower and she started yelling about how I'll just have to be dirty toady and then I had to remind her that I was living there too. That only seemed to make her worse! She screamed at me about how I'm like a ghost there and that she did own that place and so on. Then she proceeded to get in the shower and close the curtain in my face."

Blaise looked incredulous ,"You really know how to push her buttons, Draco. Wait, she got in the shower in front of you?," His tone turned excited and Malfoy felt his face harden.

"No, Zabini, don't even go there. She had knickers and a bra on. She wasn't naked," He did't realize but his voice was harsh and Blaise began to look incredulous for an entirely different reason.

"You like her," His eyes were large in wonder ,"You fancy her! Oh Salazar,"

"No! No I do not!," Draco defended ,"She's foul,"

"Uh huh…," Blaise was smirking at him now ,"Of course she is. Bloody disgusting,"

Malfoy shook his head and rose from his seat ,"Good night, Blaise," He then proceeded to storm out of the Great Hall which only made Blaise's smile broaden.

Draco did not feel up to exercising tonight since he took an extra long run that morning. Instead, he headed back to the room. When he stepped into the commons he saw her there on the couch. She had beaten him back there, just like she had this morning with the shower.

"Oh look," He said in mock surprise as he walked over towards the couch,"You're reading,"

Hermione didn't even look up, it was as if he did not exist. She had made no indication that she even knew he was in the room with her. At first this amused Draco to no end.

He laughed openly at her ,"Really? The silent treatment? How old are we now, Granger?"

She still did not acknowledge him, turning the page of her book and yawning. The smile slipped from Draco's pale features. He didn't let his annoyance show though, he just scoffed at her and made his way to their kitchen. If she wasn't going to acknowledge him, he would have to make her. Draco did not know why this made him so… He didn't even know what he was feeling. All he knew was that he didn't like this little silent treatment she was giving him. So he went to the counter and got a large and crispy looking apple. He rinsed it off and sat in the arm chair across from Hermione. She still did not look up at him and it only added fuel to his fire. Malfoy bit into his apple loudly, purposely chew obnoxiously so that she would hear him. Her face staid perfectly calm, too calm. He knew that she was getting agitated and he could feel a win coming on. She had a three bite minimum when it came to him eating apples while she was concentrating and then she would explode. His second bite was louder than the first, causing her to twitch. So close, he thought, one more bite. The third sounded like a crack of thunder and Hermione's book slamming was the lightning. She rose from her seat, not once looking at him and placed her book back on the book shelf.

Hermione started to go to her room but he wasn't letting her off the hook that easily. He was quicker, stepping in front of her to block her path.

"Don't act like I don't exist, Granger," He said loudly ,"You said I'm like a ghost around here so here I am! Alive and kicking,"

She tried moving around him and he childishly stepped in front of her. He could see her wand coming out of her back pocket he knew that would be her next move. His left hand got there before her right and he had her wand. The second his hand touched the wood her right fist came up, almost hitting him for the third time. However, Draco was ready for it this time. His seekers reflexes kicking in and he caught her wrist in his large hand. Hermione's face may have looked calm but he could see the flames crackling in her eyes. There was something different this time though, her breathing was heavier and her chocolate eyes were not light with fire but dark with something else. The scent of vanilla engulfed him, making his head spin. Being this close to her was not a good idea, especially after this morning. Their eyes met and he felt his own irises ignite. Too close, too close, too close. His brain was screaming at him to retreat but he couldn't. It was like there was a magnet inside of him and she had it's twin.

She swallowed hard, closing her eyes as she spoke ,"Hello Draco. Lovely day? How are you? A git as usual? That's good. I'm doing well also," Her eyes opened then and her resolve was back. She ripped her wrist out of his hold and took her wand back from him ,"There? Happy?"

She turned to go into the bathroom and he turned for his room muttering ,"Ecstatic, Granger, ecstatic,"

He shut his door and let his back rest against the wood. Draco may have sounded sarcastic but he was actually quite happy to hear her speak to him again. He heard the shower turn on and his stomach gave a squeeze again. What was going on with him? He couldn't decide whether he hated her anymore. Hating her was his default, that's the only relationship they had ever had. Draco was so confused about… not hating her. She could still be an insufferable bitch at times but he did not hate her. He felt like he should still but he didn't know why. His brain was starting to hurt from thinking so much.

"Fuck it," he muttered to himself.

He took off his school clothes and threw on his sleep pants. Draco walked into the bathroom, not caring that she was in the shower behind him. The second he shut the door he heard her stop moving. He felt like the room was getting smaller but he tried to push it aside. He went to the sink and began brushing his teeth. Draco heard the curtain rustle and out popped the Gryffindor's head.

Her brown eyes were questioning as she asked ,"What are you doing, Draco?," He shivered slightly, he wasn't used to Hermione calling him by his first name.

"What does it look like, Granger? I'm brushing my bloody teeth," He spoke quietly, too tired to argue with her again.

She gave him a look again, but with a nod her head was gone as she moved back into the shower. Draco tried to brush his teeth quickly but he could not escape the smell of the room. The bathroom was swirling with her vanilla scent mixed with his toothpaste, Draco tried not to breathe too deeply. He spit out quickly into the sink and trotted out of the bathroom to fresh air. His exposed skin was sticky with sweat when he found himself getting into bed. The bathroom had been so steamy that even his hair was slightly damp. As Draco lay there, he silently came to terms with the fact that he could not hate Hermione anymore. Yes her intelligence annoyed him, she could be extremely judgmental, and he was literally raised to despise her but he could not. Seeing her vulnerable that night he had made her cry and so irrational this morning… it was like seeing a whole new Granger. There was more to her than he had thought and he was wanting to know more. So many things in his mind screamed at him to hate her, to blame her for his sudden change of heart but he had already tried blaming her. He tried telling himself that his sudden interest in her was Hermione playing mind games with him. Yet, he knew he was lying to himself.

Draco only had this year left. This was the last year of him being an adolescent. After this school year ended, he would be on his own. He was being forced to grow up to soon and he'd be damned if he could not enjoy his last year while he was able to. Maybe he was meant to enjoy some of Granger as well. Only time would tell. Malfoy turned over in his bed, he heard the bathroom door open and he heard Hermione scurry into her room. He let the sounds of her lull him to sleep so he could dream vanilla scented dreams.


	5. Chapter 5 Fire Whiskey Words HPOV

Hermione was cold. She was walking in front of Ron and Harry on the way back from the Three Broomstick's. Her stomach was warm with butter beer and she tried to ignore what she had said to Ron. They had all been sitting and drinking when he had spotted Ginny and Dean over in the corner. He said he wanted to leave because he didn't want to see them together. Hermione had tried to tell him that they were only holding hands but the nest second they were snogging. Ron tried to say that that was why his argument was valid. However, Hermione asked him what he expected Ginny to do if she came over there and saw him snogging her. She regretted it the second she said it. Why would she ever say that? Her brain filter was off for that second and she had let her thoughts slip out of her mouth.

And now as Hermione walked through the snow, she could tell they were talking about what she had said. So she dropped back and threw her arms around her friends. They walked together, the golden trio, and Hermione couldn't remember being that happy since they were little. And then everything stopped and there was a horrible scream that let out through the white landscape.

All Hermione heard was ,"I told her. I told her not to touch it…,"

And then she saw her, Katie Bell was suspended in the air with her dark hair swirling around wildly. It seemed like everything slowed down as Katie screamed. She reminded Hermione of the paintings she saw of Jesus hanging on the cross, arms stretched out wide and her legs looking like they were pinned in place. Then suddenly she dropped to the ground below her, falling silent. Hermione was frozen there in place though she felt everyone rushing around her. Hagrid was there then, examining Katie and lifting her into his burly arms. Harry was dancing around the wrappings of the cursed necklace, not touching it per Hagrid's orders.

The giant man in front of them ordered them to follow him back to the castle at once. Numb with fear and shock, Hermione felt her feet begin to move. The moment that had just passed was still playing back in her mind as she walked through Hogwarts: Leanne talking numbly about how she warned Katie, the poor witch screaming relentlessly, and seeing her bound in mid air in unknown pain. Harry had to shake Hermione to get her through the door of McGonagall's office. The aged witch looked horrified as she stood before the four students. She sat and questioned Leanne as much as she could but there was only so much to ask. Hermione was puzzled as to why she, Harry, and Ron were there at all. And then Snape came into view, looking over the cursed necklace. The hook nosed man confirmed that Katie Bell was lucky to be alive.

As she waited for them to be dismissed she barely listened to what the boys and the two professors were talking about. And then she heard his name.

Hermione's head snapped up when she heard Harry say,"It was Malfoy,"

She stared incredulously at her friend and a part of her wanted to fight for Draco. That in itself confused her. Both professors looked shocked and barely took Harry's accusation to heart, sending them back to their dorms. The frazzled witch could barely listen to a word her two friends were saying, waving at them as they parted ways. She mumbled the password to her dorm and walked in quietly. For once, Draco was there and he was sitting on the sofa. His gray eyes found hers and she saw them flash… worry? No, he couldn't possibly be worried about her.

He rose from his seat and suddenly he was angrily making his way to his room while half-heartedly spitting out ,"Where the hell have you been, Granger? You look like shit,"

His behavior was off… He was more jittery than usual and his anger seemed false. Harry's accusation was fresh in her mind and she blurted out the words before he could reach his door ,"I just saw Katie Bell get cursed,"

Draco stopped in his tracks and Hermione thought she saw him shiver slightly ,"Really? How unfortunate for her,"

His voice was more remorseful than any bystander's should be ,"Draco," Hermione whispered and she stared at his taught back ,"What have you done?,"

He whipped around faster than her eyes could see and he was in front of her. His eyes looked crazed in the dim light of the commons ,"What have I done, Granger? _You_ tell _me_ since you seem to know. Don't accuse me of something I didn't know about until now!,"

Hermione was already shell shocked so she just stood there and let him scream at her. She could see that Draco had expected her to fight back and his eyes looked slightly worried again. She walked around him then and into her room. She ignored his calls and just shut her door. Hermione sat on the bed and begged a deity she didn't believe in to remove the images of Katie from her mind. She curled up under her covers, not bothering to remove her clothes. She tried so hard to sleep that night but her dreams were haunted by Katie Bell's screams.

The shower woke Hermione from her wrestles night. She lay there and listened to Draco move about the bathroom. Had he cursed her? He did seem quite shocked to here about what happened to Katie. Why was Hermione worrying herself with thoughts of Draco Malfoy? How in hell did she get here? She heard the shower curtain open with a _whoosh_ that sent air blowing under her door. The scent of spearmint toothpaste filled her room and she thought _Oh yeah, that's how I got here_. She couldn't help the thoughts that flooded her mind as she listened to him shower. Hermione hated herself for it but she couldn't help it. All she could hear was the water hitting his skin and all she felt was the fire ignite in her stomach. Why did such an unbearable prat have to be so bloody attractive? She put her pillow over her head to try and block out the noises and get some more sleep but she couldn't. She got up and put on some jeans and her red Gryffindor shirt. Creeping out of her room silently, she went into the commons, slipped on her shoes, and pulled on her jacket. Making sure to take the quickest route out of the castle, Hermione went outside and took a walk around the Hogwarts grounds.

The crisp winter air helped clear the Gryffindor's head. She knew that her… feelings towards Draco were irrational and completely out of no where. He was incorrigibly rude but Hermione had seen a new side of the Slytherin Prince. And then there was Ron. He was her best friend and these feelings she was having for him were new and quite strange. Ron was not as smart as she was and Hermione usually had to be the teacher in their relationship. However, he helped her let loose and have fun. That was extremely hard to do but Ron was one of the few people who could do it. Draco did that in some way as well though. He let something loose in Hermione that kind of frightened her. She felt… unhinged around him. Draco could make her forget herself and it felt… good. She hadn't admitted that until then and she stopped where she was walking by the black lake. She looked out over the ice covered lake and took a breath. She had feelings for Draco Malfoy. Hermione smirked to herself, if her younger self had ever heard that she would have thrown up. She could never act on these feelings though. She knew he still disliked her and she would trust a hipogriff before she trusted Draco.

Bringing her walk to an end, Hermione navigated her way through the castle to go to breakfast. She found Ginny and sat down next to her, shedding her winter coat. Soon, Harry joined them, clad in his quidditch sweater. Today was their big game against Slytherin and Ron's first game as keeper. Just when she thought of him, the ginger haired boy came walking up awkwardly. He was visibly nervous and Hermione wanted to comfort him. Luna was there as well, in an ornate lions head. The Ravenclaw then commented on something Harry had done, he had put something in Ron's pumpkin juice. Harry tried to hide the bottle of Fleixis Felicis in his pocket but Hermione caught sight of it.

She was outraged ,"You can get expelled for that!," her voice low and venomous.

The Boy Who Lived kept his composure,"I don't know what you're talking about," He said in a calm voice.

Ron was looking at his goblet, not knowing wether to drink it or not. Hermione could not let this happen ,"Don't drink it, Ron!," She whispered, looking around them anxiously.

He looked at her and then at Harry. In a swift motion, he downed the goblet to Hermione's dismay. A silly grin came across his face,"Come on Harry," He said happily ,"We've got a game to win!,"

The boys clapped hands and left for the locker rooms. Hermione gave Ginny a desperate look. The red head gave her a sad smile ,"Nothing you can do about it now, Mione," She sighed and grabbed a piece of toast before saying ,"I've got to go get ready as will be a party in the commons if we win. You should join us! We never get to see you anymore."

Hermione missed her friends terribly. She nodded ,"Definitely. Good luck out there, Gin. Be safe!," She yelled out but Ginny was already jogging out of the Great Hall.

She and Luna finished their breakfasts and began to make their way down to the quidditch pitch. The stands were packed despite the frigid weather. When Luna and Hermione found their seats, she quickly cast a warming charm around them; earning a grateful look from her friend. The game started off quick, Hermione spotted her three friends right away. Ginny was taking a beating from Blaise and she made a note to scold him for it later. Harry was high above the field as usual, looking for the snitch. And then she saw Ron. He was fighting valiantly out there, dipping low and soaring high every other second. He didn't miss a ball. Reluctantly, Hermione clapped along as the Gryffindor's chanted out Ron's name. Even though he was technically cheating she felt extremely proud. She watched him fly and became mesmerized by his movements. It was quite animalistic the way he fought against the onslaught of quaffles. Hermione was blushing as she left the field and it wasn't because of the cold.

Gryffindor won because of Ron's shut out so Luna and Hermione made their way to the commons. It was odd having to be let in by someone else, not knowing the Gryffindor password anymore made her uneasy. The minute the portrait opened, she heard the chant all over again. Ron was standing in the middle of the crowd, getting pats on the back and high fives every which way. He looked so happy and his smile was contagious. The brunette caught sight of Harry and made her way over to him as Luna found Neville.

They watched their friend, laughing at his elation until Hermione broke the silence ,"You know you should't have done it," Giving Harry a motherly look of disapproval.

He gave her a sly look and said ,"Yes, I should've just used a confundus charm,"

Hermione felt awkward. She had confunded Cormac McClaggen, the obnoxious boy who seemed to fancy her, to help Ron get the spot as Keeper. She had thought Harry had missed it ,"That- That was different… That was try outs! This was an actual game," She sputtered.

Harry shook his head and pulled out the bottle of liquid luck, which was still full ,"You didn't put it in?," Hermione murmured, surprised. Harry shook his head at her ,"Ron only thought you did?,"

Harry nodded as Hermione turned to gaze at Ron, still receiving admiration. All of that had really been him, it wasn't the luck it was pure Ron. And then Hermione wasn't gazing at a happy and goofy Ron anymore, she was watching him snog Lavender Brown. She couldn't breathe as she watched the two of them. All thoughts of she and Ron flew out of the window and she felt something inside of her crumble. Frantically, she backed away from the common room and pushed her way to the portrait. Once out in the hall she let her first tear fall, why was this happening? Why couldn't she just get who she wanted? She collapsed on the steps a corridor away from Gryffindor Tower. The hall was drafty and she was shivering but Hermione didn't care. She was shuddering with tears when she took out her wand. The bookworm needed a distraction. She tried to cheer herself up by making birds but it did not help.

She whipped around when she felt someone sit next to her. It was Harry ,"Charm spell," She choked out through tears ,"Just practicing,"

Harry put his arm around her then and she couldn't be anymore grateful. And then with a girly giggle, Lavender came into the hall followed by Ron. They both stopped at the sight of Hermione's distress and Harry's comforting.

Lavender sneered slightly at Hermione and then turned to Ron with a love stricken face ,"Oops," She looked the forlorn Gryffindor up and down ,"I think this room is taken,"

Lavender tried dragging Ron out of the room with her but he stayed behind,"What's with the birds?," He asked dumbly, smiling at Hermione.

Suddenly, she was on her feet. Hermione glared at Ron as she summoned the birds to attack him. He dodged them well and gave her an odd look before following after Lavender. He left. He left her when he knew she was upset. That made the tears start flowing again as she sank back on the steps beside Harry. He tried comforting her the best he could but Hermione insisted she just need to go to sleep. Harry walked her back to her dorm and she saw his face harden in the moonlight.

"If he gives you a hard time tonight," His voice severe ,"Tell me and I'll hex him back to daddy,"

Hermione chuckled uncomfortably, in the midst of her roller coaster of emotion she had forgotten all about Draco. She hand't seen him since this morning. Would he be waiting up for her?

"I'll be fine," She gave Harry a hug and a kiss on the cheek ,"Thank you for being there for me tonight, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that she murmured the password and dragged herself through the portrait. She stood in the common room, waiting for him to come out of a hiding place and start screaming at her but he never came. The common room was lit by a fire and nothing more. Hermione moved over to the sofa and she saw him propped up against it with a large bottle of fire whiskey in his hand. He looked up at her with sad gray eyes. His pupils were as big as saucers meaning he was properly pissed.

"Draco, are you insane? You've been drinking?," She whispered, she may have been upset but she could still give a good scolding where it was needed.

He only stared at her like a wide eyed child. "You've been crying," His voice was low and sad. He stretched out a hand to her ,"Come sit,"

Hermione didn't know what to do really but she felt her hand go out to him of it's own accord. He drunkly pulled her down to sit with him as he conjured a goblet. Hermione opened her mouth in protest but he put a finger to her lips. She froze when he touched her. Draco poured her some whiskey and handed her the goblet. She held it there not knowing if she should do this or not, but then she looked at him again and his eyes were probing and deep. She felt the whiskey burn her throat before she even knew she had raised the glass to her lips. The burn of it felt like the burn inside of her head. She finished the glass and saw that the pale boy next to her was staring at her with an odd expression.

"Who has made you cry?," He slurred to her, his voice serious ,"If it was Weasley I'll hex him," Draco took a swig of the bottle he was holding.

Hermione smiled at his words, she felt warmth spreading through her body ,"It was him actually," She was feeling more open with him since he was being so nice ,"He… well he was snogging Lavender Brown. That must sound like a stupid reason to cry but-,"

"It's not stupid," Malfoy interrupted drunkly ,"He's dumber than I thought if he couldn't tell that you fancy him. Snogging that cow right in front of you… Yes, I think I will hex him,"

Hermione giggled as the goblet of fire whiskey she drank muddled her brain ,"I wouldn't mind that actually! So why are you so sad ?," Her head was tilted to the side in an innocent gesture. Hermione had had muggle alcohol before but Wizard alcohol, she was finding out, was a bit different.

Malfoy's face grew just as sad as hers and she felt bad for asking now. He shook his head and looked into the fire. Hermione found that his type of pale was quite angelic and beautiful. His face was clean cut planes and his eyes were pools of silver. With his fringe covering half way down his eyes, Hermione couldn't help but find him gorgeous. If she hadn't been staring she would have missed it but she saw a small shining tear leave Draco's pale eye.

"Oh, Draco," She said quietly. Seeing him this emotional was overwhelming to her, especially in her current state.

She reached out her hand to hold his and his eyes were on her at once. He was staring intently as Hermione slowly folded her small hand around his large one. He spoke so quietly she thought he may be talking to himself ,"I didn't mean to do it…," Another tear running down his face ,"I didn't mean to hurt her," His eyes were filling now and Hermione's heart gave another squeeze.

She raised her hand slowly as if she was approaching a wounded animal. She wiped away his tears with her free hand ,"It's alright, Draco," She murmured, cupping his cheek in her palm. He leaned into the gesture as she said again ,"It's alright,"

They stayed like that for a long time. Draco seemingly memorizing every line of Hermione's face as she watched him watch her. When his eyes found hers again he murmured ,"You really are quite beautiful, Hermione,"

She didn't know if it was the fact that he had said she was beautiful or the fact that he had spoken her name but Hermione's heart seemed to skip a beat. She couldn't respond in any way because she was incapable of speech at the moment. He reached up and took her hand away from his face. Draco pulled her to him and she gladly rested her head on his lap. With one arm on her waist and the other stroking her hair, Draco began to lull Hermione to sleep.

The last thing she remembered hearing him say was ,"Forget about Weasley, if he can't appreciate you then someone else will,"

And with that, she fell asleep on the lap of her sworn enemy. Hermione couldn't help thinking if Draco's promise of 'someone else appreciating her' had a double meaning. As she let the darkness of sleep drain her consciousness, Hermione found that she was hoping for Draco's promise to mean that maybe he would be that someone else.


	6. Chapter 6 Giving In DPOV

Draco knew three things when he woke up the next morning. One, he was not in his bed. The floor was hard and his back was stiff against the common room couch. Two, he thoroughly hated himself for falling sleep facing the window. The morning sun blinded him as he pried open his eyes. And third, Draco was positive he was not alone. Taking a deep breath didn't stop his heart from seizing when he saw a bushy head of hair in his lap. He slowly brought his pale fingers to Hermione's hair, revealing her sleeping face. He took that time to admire the Gryffindor's features, for once free of anger or contempt. Draco warmed at the freckles dusted on her cheek bones and down the bridge of her nose. They were quite endearing and he tried resisting the urge to run his fingers over them.

Draco needed to move but he was still impeded by the sleeping lioness on his lap. He knew it was risky and he would be torturing himself by doing it but he pick Granger up despite his inner argument. She was light as he had expected. Her bedroom door wasn't open, he cursed himself as he took her into his room. Malfoy slowly placed her on his bed, silently thanking Merlin she hadn't stirred once on their walk to the room. She curled up in his sheets and seemed to inhale deeply. A small smile came across her features and she looked… content there, in _his_ bed. He shook his head and grabbed a towel. As Draco closed the door to the bathroom, the previous night came back to him though it was muddled. As the shower water ran and he began to undress, he realized how dangerous last night was. The Malfoy Heir had for once in his life let his guard down. He berated himself whilst climbing into the shower, letting the water wash away his headache and the faint smell of fire whiskey. Granger had been so upset last night. His mind was now host to the vision of her tear streaked face. He felt his blood boil, knowing that the Weasel hurt her made him want to do mad things. Draco needed to keep his head on straight, he was not in the position to get lost in his emotions. From that point on, he would try once again to stay on track and put his feelings for Granger on the back burner.

Shutting off the water, Draco got out of the shower and tied his towel around his waist. He had been planning to slip in and out of his room, grabbing his clothes and changing in the bathroom. However, he was met with a very confused Gryffindor when he entered his room. She was awake and sitting up in his bed, her eyes found his and they were curious and bewildered all at once. Seeing her so innocent did things to him, he had to remind himself of his personal promise to put his feelings in the back of his mind. Malfoy coughed lightly when he saw she was staring at him in his towel. She shook her head, startled. Hermione rose from the bed and crossed the space between them, Draco's heart did flips.

A rose colored blush spread across her cheeks as she spoke ,"Draco, hum, what hap-... why did I just wake up in your bed?," She was looking nervously at her hands.

Malfoy's jaw dropped ,"We fell asleep in the common room. I fancied a shower but you were still asleep. So rather than waking you up rudely or leaving you on the floor, I placed you in my bed. I didn't… Nothing happened, Granger," He tried to keep his tone stoic but his heart felt a little sad.

Her blush deepened ,"Oh… okay then. Just one more question: Why didn't you put me in my own bed?,"

He stared at her, was she trying to fish out his feelings for her? He dared not let himself hope. "Your door was closed, mine was open. Seeing as I was carrying you, Granger, an open door was much easier to get through. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get dressed," He put more of a bite into his voice to make her go away but he wanted to take it back the second he saw the shy happiness in her eyes fade.

Hermione looked down and said ,"Oh, alright… I'll just leave you to it then," With that she rushed out of his bedroom and into her own, closing the door behind her.

Draco slowly closed his door and let his forehead rest against the wood. His newly developed feelings for Granger were difficult to deal with. He had finally accepted his feelings for the girl but it killed him to know that acting on them would put her in grave danger. Malfoy knew that keeping his distance would benefit them both in the end. With a deep breath he got dressed, putting on some gray running pants and a white t-shirt. It was a saturday so he didn't have to put on his robes today. The Slytherin was behind on his workouts and a good run would clear his head. After pulling on his trainers, Draco walked into the common room to find Hermione curled up on the couch with a book and her cat. She looked quite sad and she was too focused to notice the wistful expression on his pale features. He said nothing as he exited the dorm, silence was better than hearing her voice. No one was really in the castle as he made his way out. He suspected most of the students were in Hogsmede.

As soon as the winter air hit him, Draco was able to focus on his task at hand. He had come up with a sort of plan yesterday before the whole Katie Bell incident. He had hoped she would have tossed the necklace, she didn't seem to trust him so he did not think she would actually deliver it. Unfortunately the stupid girl had opened the package. At the thought of Katie having that curse bestowed upon her Malfoy took off running. He made his way down the path past Hagrid's and into the forest. As he ran under the snowy blanket of tree limbs he started to think of his plans. Everything was ready for the end of term. He planned out his escape routes and he had accepted that he had to keep playing along as a Death Eater until he allowed them entrance to Hogwarts. He regretted the decision already but there was no other way to make sure they would not follow him. The next part of his plan was to be determined. He was counting on an extremely unlikely source for his safe house but it was certainly worth a try. He had sent a owl yesterday before Granger had come home and he was eagerly awaiting a reply. He was hoping blood was thicker than water.

Seeing as Draco had a late start to his day, the skies were dimming as he came out of the forest. He could see students heading to dinner from the Hogsmede Trail so he ran back up to he and Granger's dorm. He had not let her cross his mind during his run so as he whispered their password his heart pounded against his ribcage. When he came through the portrait, Draco saw a lifeless common room. The whole dorm seemed quiet until the Grangre came out of her room. Draco tried to keep his draw from dropping too far as he took her in. Hermione's usually wild hair was slightly tamed and her fringe was pinned back away from her face. She was wearing a rather low cut pink dress and kitten heels. She was nervously fiddling with her clutch as she walked past him.

He whipped around when he saw her heading for the portrait ,"Where in hell are you going?," He didn't mean to sound angry but the second he saw her dressed up he saw Weasley's fat head in his mind.

She turned on her heel to face him. Her face was too composed when she spoke,"I'm attending Professor Slughorn's Christmas party if you must know,"

He gave her an up and down look ,"Going stag I assume?," He couldn't help but ask, he had to know if she was going with the Weasel.

She raised her eyebrow at him and the action reminded Draco of himself ,"Why would that be any of your business?,"

"I can't ask a god damn question? Just answer me," He was being unnecessarily harsh but he couldn't control the jealousy at that moment.

Hermione glared at him for a moment before speaking ,"My date is Cormac McClaggen if you must know, you insufferable prick,"

Malfoy felt his face freeze with some relief before he bust out laughing ,"You're kidding me? You and McClaggen? Well, that's an unlikely pair," He couldn't help the barking laughter coming out of him. Hermione's face was bright red and she looked furious ,"The brightest witch of her age and the dumbest keeper of Hogwarts,"

"Shut up, Malfoy! At least he's polite and handsome and not and evil little ferret! It's good to know that you're not just prejudice against muggles and muggle borns, just everyone in general!,"

There was a knock on the door and she stomped over to open it. McClaggen's face was similar to Draco's as he took in Hermione's dress. He bent down and whispered something into her ear that made Hermione blush; Draco felt his blood start to boil.

She faced him again, this time with a smug look on her face ,"Don't bother waiting up, Draco,"

McClaggen looked at Draco and winked before putting his hand out to help Hermione through the portrait. Malfoy's balled fists were turning his knuckles white. He paced back in forth in the kitchen trying to calm himself down but it did not help. What was she doing with a dog like McClaggen? Was she trying to make him jealous? Or was she trying to make Weasley jealous? The thought of the red head made Draco's anger double. The war inside of him raged on. The impulsive half of him, the one Granger brought out, told him to go after her and take her away from McClaggen. However, his usual rational self was telling him to remember how much danger he would put her in if he made his feelings known. After trying to eat some dinner and pacing in their common room, Draco decided to follow her. He was just going to take a peek into the party and see what she was doing. A little surveillance wouldn't hurt.

Slughorn's classroom wasn't too far from the Slytherin dorms. Draco walked noiselessly down the long corridor until he came to the door of the classroom. He could see Potter through the cracked door talking awkwardly with Snape. He tried to look further into the room. The Weaslette and Longbottom were chatting, but a flash of a pink dress and curly hair caught his eye. Then he saw Granger, seemingly hiding behind a post, she looked quite frazzled and Draco was glad for it. Just as he saw McClaggen find her, he felt a hand grab the neck of his shirt.

He knew it was Filch before he turned around because he heard the man's cat meow. Filch turned him slowly as he spoke ,"What exactly are you doing, ?,"

Draco sneered, he hated being called that. it made him feel like his father. He drawled in a cold tone ,"I was invited you dimwit,"

Filch smiled cruelly at him ,"Oh, you were? Let's go ask!,"

Before he could blink, Draco was being shoved through the door and into the middle of the party. Everyone stopped moving and his eyes automatically found Granger. There were a mixture of emotions in the brown orbs but disgust wasn't one of them.

"This boy says he was invited to your party professor!," Filch announced loudly, even though Slughorn was right in front of them.

Draco sighed out an agitated breath ,"Alright, alright! I was gate crashing!,"

Then Snape was there, standing in front of Draco ,"I will escort Mr. Malfoy out,"

Draco smirked at him ,"Certainly," he said ,"Professor," he spoke the word like it was an after thought.

Snape ushered Draco out into the hall before he threw the Slytherin against the stone wall ,"Are you insane? Do you want to bring more attention to yourself, you stupid boy! You are supposed to be lying low-,"

"Don't scold me like I'm some child!," Malfoy spat out at him, he hated being talked at instead of talked to.

"I'm supposed to be here to assist you, Draco-" Snape said in a tired voice.

"I don't need your help! I've got this under control!," Draco hissed,"Now if you'll excuse me," The finality in Draco's voice ended their heated exchange.

Snape didn't bother calling him back as Draco walked down the corridor. He was feeling slightly better now that he had seen Granger's obvious discomfort with McClaggen. It gave him a hope he knew he should not have. Draco made his way to the dorm and got himself a glass of water to calm him down. Yet, calm became only a distant feeling when Granger burst through the portrait.

She was in his face so quickly he had a flashback of their third year ,"What the hell do you think you are doing crashing the Christmas party?You had no right-,"

Draco's temper flared fast and hard as she poked a accusatory finger into his chest ,"Don't tell me what I have a right to do, Granger! I can do whatever I damn well please! Sorry if I ruined your snog-a-thon with McClaggen!,"

Her eyes were blazing as she spoke ,"Why in Merlin's name do you care who I'm snogging! You don't care about anything or anyone! Especially not me!," Her eyes began to water as the words left her full lips.

Maybe it was her surge of emotion that caused him to forget himself when he said ,"I do care! Don't tell me who I do and do not care about, Granger! You don't know a damn thing about the things I care about!,"

He was in her face now, their arguments always ended in close proximity. Her eyes sparked with curiosity and he knew he had said too much but this flare of jealousy made him not care ,"What are you trying to say here, Malfoy?," She yelled but her voice was losing it's ferocity ,"I don't feel like reading between the lines tonight so just spit it out!,"

And just like the other fights his anger and frustration caused him to act physically, resulting in Granger's back against one of the common rooms walls once again. Draco's fist collided with the wall next to her head for what felt like the millionth time that term as he spoke ,"Fine! You want me to say it, Granger, I will! I…," His voice wavered and he took a step away from her, his hands on his hips. Hi rational and irrational halves warred once again. This time impulse won ,"I should hate you! I don't though, not in the least!," He had to sound meaner than this, he had to drive her away ,"It's your fault too! Just like everything else! You-,"

Draco was cut off by Hermione's lips crashing against his. His eyes were wide with shock as she grabbed his face and kissed him with all she had.

He pushed her away quickly but never let his hands drop from her shoulders as he spoke ,"No, Hermione, no it's too dangerous," He sputtered out. Her scent was filling his senses, leaving him helpless.

"Draco I don't care if it's dangerous! I don't hate you either, I care about you too! I feel…," She was searching for the correct words, he could see it on her face ," I feel unhinged around you! You make me lose my control and that's new for me but I like it and I like you. So just let this happen… please, Draco," Her voice was desperate and her eyes were watery.

Draco tried to move away but when he saw her first tear drop fall he groaned in defeat and brought his lips to hers again. He hands gripped her waist like he'd always wanted to as her arms snaked around his neck pulling him closer. She smelled of vanilla and rain, the most beautiful scents for the most beautiful girl. Kissing her made him feel more alive than he ever had before. She was so soft and delicate but she was firm at the same time. In that moment, Draco was in heaven. He would deal with the hell that was reality in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7 Aftermath HPOV

Hermione's felt like she was floating but she was rooted to the ground. It was the thing that was keeping her feet on the floor that made her feel airy. She, Hermione Granger, was snogging Draco Malfoy. She knew that there were one million reasons for her to go running and screaming out of the room. Draco was the boy who tormented her all of her schooling years and hated her profusely. She also hated him for what he put her through. Hermione's two best friends would think she was mental if they ever knew and Ron would probably Avada Malfoy then and there. His entire family hated her for her blood and his father was a prominent supporter of Voldemort, the biggest bigot of them all. Yet despite all of those facts, Hermione could not bring herself to tear her lips from his. She had her fingers laced through his alabaster locks and his hands were gripping beautifully on her hips. The Gryffindor Princess had never felt this good. He made her feel spontaneous and free, a needed change from her bookworm personality. Their kissing was naturally passionate, there were no sweet simple kiss that lead to something more. Their whole interaction was a frenzy. Hermione could feel Malfoy's body flush against her own but she felt like she needed to be so much closer.

Draco pulled slightly away from her, resting his forehead against hers. He took a shaky breath as he ran his hands up and down her back ,"What the hell are we doing, Granger?," He wondered.

Hermione would have worried about his question but she saw the smirk on his lips as he spoke ,"I believe we were kissing," She quipped.

Malfoy chuckled and pinched her sides ,"Ah, snarky witch aren't you?,"

With that said, he leaned down and kissed her again. Hermione's head was spinning and it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. His lips were softer than she expected and his touches were anything but gentle. Hermione felt as if he was a starving man and she was a roast. She could not bring herself to complain however, she had wanted this just as much as he had. Draco had taken to kissing the hollow of her neck to her ear lobe, running the course a dozen times before stopping.

Hermione had a question rolling around in her mind and her curiosity was bubbling over. She toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck as she spoke ,"Why did you crash the party tonight, Draco?,"

His face hardened slightly and he sat lightly on the back of the couch, never letting his hands leave her waist. His stormy gray eyes were focused on the wall ,"I wanted to see what you were doing with Cormac," He said the boys name like it was a disease ,"When you left he gave me a sly wink like he was going to pull something,"

"So you came to see if I would need assistance?," Hermione questioned. She did not understand if it was protectiveness or possessiveness that caused him to act.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but he stopped himself. Malfoy huffed a breath and spoke in a dead panned voice saying ,"I wanted to see if you returned his… interest," He looked at her then, defensive and questioning.

Hermione blushed and looked at the fire place ,"I did not reciprocate McClaggen's… enthusiasm. I had other things on my mind,"

"Like what, Granger?," Malfoy murmured

Hermione kept her eyes trained on the dancing flames as she spoke ,"Like this morning when I woke up in your bed. I… had been expecting to feel differently than I had. I surprised myself by feeling… good about where I was. I felt rather safe actually. And then…," She felt the rejection wash over her again as she remembered his awkward but harsh words ,"the feeling went away when you were so…. cold to me. I should be used to you being cold to me, Malfoy, but for the first time in a very long time your words upset me. I've grown a thick skin for your taunts and name calling but… your rejection was a new feeling to me," She looked at him then and saw his usual stoic mask was back in place ,"I haven't built up a skin for that particular emotion yet,"

Draco looked at her for a long while before responding. She could tell he was choosing his words carefully ,"Granger, I did not mean to hurt you this morning. I meant to push you away but not hurt you," He saw her start to inquire but he put a finger to her lips ,"I'll explain. The only way I can see us dealing with our, hopefully mutual, feelings are to ignore them. I'm no good for you, Granger. Not only will I be putting you in the worst danger possible, I don't deserve you or your affections. You may disagree with the latter but you can't deny that I will be putting you in grave danger if we were ever to make these feelings public."

Hermione had never ridden a roller coaster before but this is what it must have felt second a fiery anger, then a blissful high, and now a crashing low. She tried to take the tremble out of her voice when she spoke ,"Do you… do you regret what just happened?,"

She looked away from him again, bracing herself for his answer ,"No… No I don't," He must have caught the hopefulness of her features because Malfoy continued ,"That does not mean that it wasn't extremely careless on my part. It was irresponsible and stupid. I broke my own promises…," Hermione's head snapped up at this and he avoided her gaze ,"This wasn't supposed to happen, Granger… it can't happen," He rose then and stepped around her. Hermione felt her lungs seize ,"I won't put you in this danger. I refuse,"

Hermione was baffled by the wetness that she felt on her cheeks and chose to ignore the tears ,"So what exactly do I do? Ignore that this ever happened? Pretend that we never… that I never… You're asking too much of me Draco! I can't… I _can't_ just forget about this. I can't just forget about… you,"

He turned to her then and he paused when he saw her tears. She saw his hand twitch as if he wanted to comfort her and it made the pain in her chest worsen. He spoke low and his voice was grave ,"I'm not going to be able to forget this either, Granger. How could I?," His voice turned pleading and it stunned her ,"If there was a way for us to test this out like normal people, don't you think I would take it?,"

His eyes were searching hers and she gave him the truth ,"I don't know what to think, Draco. Everything I thought was fact considering you is now proving false. I don't know who you are anymore, but for the first time I _want_ to know who you are. Why can't we just figure this out here? I'm not saying let's tell all of Hogwarts about what goes on between us. I'm saying let's figure out whatever this is behind these walls. Why can't we do that? Give me one good reason, Draco."

He shook his head in an exasperated fashion that made fury flare where pain once was ,"Don't be so naive, Granger. It doesn't matter where we do it, it won't change the fact that I am poison. I am danger on legs when it comes to you. That fact will not change-,"

She balled her fists together tightly as she spoke, voice rising ,"I don't care about the danger, Draco! I could care less about being in danger, I've spent my whole life in danger. I'm a pro at danger after the past six years," She looked at him and she could tell he was searching for an argument and not coming up with one ,"See? You can't even deny that! Can't you just try and trust my judgement? I don't expect you to trust me fully just try and trust me on this. Trust that we can do this."

His face was pained, reminding her of his face before he kissed her. Draco looked so torn as he looked at her ,"Hermione, I just can't put you in that kind of danger… As much as I want this…,"

"Then why question it? Let's face it, neither of us have ever really acted on impulse. Neither of us have acted on our own before. Why not start with this, with us? If you want this like you say you do then why not?," She knew she was pleading but she could not bring herself to care.

Draco stared at her oddly, like he was seeing her for the first time. Hermione felt herself squirm under his probing eyes. It felt like he was not looking at her, but looking into her; as cheesy as that sounds. He moved suddenly, walking over to her and lifting his hand to her cheek. He did not touch her though, his hand just hovered there. She saw the same war raging in his eyes and it seemed as if he was trying to decide right then and there whether to stay or leave. Hermione held her breath when she saw his hand start to move, he stroked a finger down her jawline and cupped her face lightly. She couldn't help but lean into the gesture, relaxing a little since he was touching her again.

"Fine, Granger… we can try. No one can know though. I'm not putting you in more danger than you already are. I'm sure Potter and Weasley are going to put you into enough da-,"

For the second time that night she cut him off with a kiss. Silencing him sufficiently, Hermione was swollen with happiness.

He pulled out of the kiss as he had before and rested his chin on the top of Hermione's head. Her forehead against his neck, she felt his pulse throbbing against her skin ,"It's almost three in the morning, Granger,"

Hermione jumped so quickly she banged into Draco's adam's apple ,"It's what? Oh no! I was supposed to pack for the Borrow! The trains will be leaving for Christmas tomorrow morning. Oh no!," Only then did she see Draco holding his throat and glaring at her ,"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you,"

"You practically knocked a hole into my throat, Granger," He grumbled

She walked over and kissed him on the throat ,"I'm sorry," She tried to give him her best innocent look.

"Don't give me that look, Granger. Go pack, I'm going to bed," He leaned down and kissed her good night, causing butterflies to assault her stomach. She watched him saunter into his room. Calling over his shoulder ,"Good night, silly witch,"

She smirked to herself and murmured ,"Good night, Draco,"

As the Hogwart's Expressed rattled along the tracks, Hermione tried to follow what Luna was saying but she was unsuccessful. She was thankful that Neville was an active participant in Luna's dribble because Hermione and Ginny were both lost in thought. She felt Ginny's gaze on her several times but she couldn't bring herself to say anything; though Ginny would be the only person Hermione would ever think to tell about Draco. They had an extremely long good bye this morning. Kissing Draco was much better than arguing with him. They still argued that morning but instead of ending in tears it ended with them tangled together on the couch. He helped her pack some of the morning, magically organizing things as Hermione packed them the muggle way. He had mocked her some about that but nothing harsh about it. He was still the same stoic Draco but his facade was cracking. He commented on a few of the books she was packing, letting slip that he had already read them. When she packed homework, he offered her his because he was already finished.

The train jerked to a stop and Hermione was taken out of her thoughts. She and Ginny rose to follow Neville and Luna but Hermione ran straight into Ron.

"Go ahead," she said frostily, Ron's face paled and he practically scampered down the corridor.

Harry flashed her an apologetic smile, "I'll see you on the platform," Hermione nodded but it went unnoticed. Harry had seen Ginny and was now scampering away as Ron had.

"Boys," Ginny murmured as the walked towards the doors ,"They never know how to deal with their emotions,"

Hermione giggle to herself and shook her head. It was the coldest day of the winter and her breath was apparent in the air as the two girls made there way to meet the rest of the Weasley's. After a heart welcome from Mrs. Weasley, they made their way to the closest Floo Station. She kept close to Ginny, sharing snark remarks about the boys odd behavior.

That is how it went the rest of that evening, Hermione spoke with Ginny of Christmas the next day. Ginny was hoping for a new broomstick but she knew her parents could not afford it. Fred and George arrived that night with a cart of gifts. Hermione was still shocked to hear that the twins new shop was still successful. Most of Diagon Alley had closed down except for the Weasley's joke shop. Hermione found herself in the kitchen that night alone, everyone had gone to bed. She was up and thinking of the coming War. It was frightening that she felt so calm considering her blood status and friendships. She worried about her parents and about Harry. She knew that her parents were informed of the goings on in the Wizarding World, the Weasley's always sent them a Daily Prophet, but they did not understand the type of danger they were in. She had to think of them before she helped Harry. And then there was Harry. He was like her brother and she knew him very well. He always holds his head high and he doesn't let anyone see his fear. All she could do was be there for him.

"What are you doing up so let, Mione?," Ginny's voice was soft as to not startle her friend.

"I'm sorry, I must have lost track of time down here," She said, awkwardly smiling at Ginny ,"I did not mean to leave you alone up there,"

The red head blew out a long breath and sat down across from Hermione ,"Well, it's not like anyone is talking to me right now. Ron isn't shuts up when I come in the room and Harry…," She gave the brunette a helpless look," He turns into a bumbling idiot when I see him and he scurries away like a mouse,"

Hermione chuckled ,"If he's not in some kind of peril he has no idea how to act. Ginny, don't lose hope. I know him well and I can see it in his eyes that he cares for you. He was a bit thrown by your relationship with Dean, I know that. He was always giving Dean odd looks and muttering under his breath whenever the poor boy spoke,"

Ginny giggled and blushed ,"I guess that's promising. I just wish he would grow a set of-,"

Just as his name was mentioned, the boy who lived bounded into the kitchen. Harry stopped so abruptly he almost fell over ,"Oh I- I- I'm uh sorry," Harry stuttered ,"I'm just gunna- uh- good night!,"

And with that he was bounding up the steps. Hermione looked at Ginny then and saw the girls wistful expression.

"Don't fret, Gin," She said quietly ,"He'll get his head on straight soon,"

"One can only hope," Ginny whispered.

And with that the girls took to the stairs. As the snow began to fall outside, Hermione could not help but imagine the pale face of Draco before she let unconsciousness take her.


	8. Chapter 8 Plans DPOV

Draco stood there at King's Cross station wishing, for the first time in his life, that he was born into a different family. Everyone probably expected this thought was on repeat in his mind growing up but it had not. He had always prided himself on being a Malfoy. His arrogance was pure and he had truly thought himself better than everyone. As the war had progressed and his eyes were opened to the true horrors of the Death Eaters, Draco began to think of how it would have been if he was not born into a family of Death Eaters. He envied Potter as he watched him with Weasley's family. They took him in like he was another one of their red headed twats. He resented Potter for having a surrogate family, people who truly cared for him. Before, Draco had been jealous of Potter because of the attention he got. Harry Potter the Chosen One, Draco sneered to himself. This year was the first year he could honestly say that he did not envy Potter for that reason. Draco was now a "Chosen One" himself, but chosen for the wrong thing. He didn't want attention anymore, he didn't want to be chosen.

He then caught sight of a head of platinum blonde hair like his and he knew it was his mother. Narcissa was looking older and Draco felt his heart seize.

She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek, "Let's go home, Draco," she said as she linked her arm through his.

He only nodded to his mother in response. He didn't think the Manor held any bit of 'home' for him anymore. They went to the floo's and he grabbed some of the powder. He saw the Weasley's, Potter, and Granger as he murmured the address of the Manor. Their eyes found each other and he winked at her, lightly enough for his mother not to notice, before he threw the dust.

After a moment of darkness, he was face with his family's sitting room. Every piece of furniture seemed to hold a thin layer of dust, as if no one came into this room anymore.

He walked out of the fire place carefully, letting go of his mother's arm, "Are there any visitors I should know about?" He grumbled.

Narcissa cast him a dark look, as if begging him to be quiet, "Draco, please," She brought her forefinger and middle finger to her temple, a sign of stress he knew well, "The Dark Lord is in the dining room and he'd like to speak with you,"

Draco stopped walking and looked at his mother. Her expression was tired yet pleading. He nodded, a grim expression taking over his features. He followed his mother into the dining room, letting his usual stoic mask take over his face.

Voldemort was standing by the fire place, his snake curled by his feet as usual. Draco looked at his mother and nodded his head towards the door, giving her permission to leave them.

"My lord," Draco said, as if to announce his presence. He knew that Voldemort could sense him though.

"Ah, Draco," Voldemort said, turning to face the pale haired boy, "I trust you are well?"

Draco nodded slightly, "Very well, My Lord," He worked hard to keep the tone of his voice low and sounding appreciative yet fearful. Voldemort loved when he knew people worshipped him.

"That is good," He murmured thoughtfully, "I hope your tasks are coming along splendidly?"

"Yes, sir, the cabinet needs a bit more tweaking and it should be finished," Draco said, real fear in his voice now. No one lied to Voldemort and lived to tell the tale.

The red slits that were Voldemorts eyes fell on Draco's gray ones. Draco could feel him trying to get into his mind, he could feel his slithery presence on the edges of his memories. His shielding held firm though, Snape had taught him well.

"What of the old coot?" Voldemort said as he turned back to the fire.

Draco tried to laugh menacingly, trying to channel his younger self, "He is still unsuspecting. He is getting weaker, my lord, that task should be completed by the end of term. Snape his assisting me in my planning," That that was his third lie.

"Good, I know Severus will be a great help to you," the hiss in Voldemort's voice came out stronger now and Draco shivered.

One deathly pale hand waved in dismissal and Draco bowed slightly before leaving the room. Once out, he felt the sweat drop from his brow. He had done it, Voldemort believed every word he had said. The man was so blinded by power that he could not see through Draco's lies.

He turned to the steps and was met with his father. Lucius was looking especially ragged, one eye black and blue and his arm was in a sling. Draco looked at him with a sneer of disgust.

"Draco, my boy," His father's voice cracked on his name, "I suspect your meeting with the Dark Lord went well?"

"Yes, it did. Your dirty neck has been saved," He spat

Lucius's face grew dark and worried as he spoke, "No not yet, Draco. My life has not yet been saved. It will be saved once both deeds are done. Once the cabinet is fully mended and you assist Bella and the others into Hogwarts. Once Dumbledore is dead... Only then will this sword be removed from above my head, Draco,"

Draco stared blankly at him. His planning, his timing... it was all pointless now. He may hate his father but Draco would never wish such a cruel death on the man. Of course he had no way in telling how the Dark Lord would kill his father but knowing him, he would make it torturous and he would enjoy every second of it.

"Where's mother?" Draco said numbly

"She's in the study," Lucius whispered, noting Draco's drop in confidence. It was as if the eldest Malfoy was mentally preparing himself for death.

Draco walked away silently. He knocked on the study door before entering. His mother was sitting before the fire with her straight back towards him.

When he approached her she was shaking, a glass of firewhiskey in her delicate hand. He brought a hand to her tear stained face and her eyes fluttered closed.

"I'm so sorry, Draco," She choked out, "I'm so so sorry,"

He shut his eyes, begging the oncoming tears to rethink their decent. They did not and his tears mingled with his mothers as they hit the hard wood floor.

"I have to kill him don't I, mother?," He whispered

"Yes darling," Finally looking at him, her face grew hard, "Yes you do,"

Once again Draco's lids dropped shut, desperately trying to shut out the world. His soul would be ripped in two. He would never be whole again.

With as much tact as a first year, Bellatrix came bursting into the room like a tornado.

His face turned to stone instantly and Narcissa brushed away her tears, turning to face her deranged sister.

Bella looked particularly wild eyed that evening, that was never a good sign. "Cissy, what are you doing in here fretting? We're going to have some fun tonight, Fenrir and I! I wanted to know if you would like to join us!,"

She spoke as if she was asking his mother out to the pub instead of killing innocent people. Draco's mind reeked of disgust but his face gave away nothing.

"No, Bella," She said too quickly, glancing at her son nervously, "I won't be joining in on the fun this evening. I know you've been planning it for a long while but-,"

"I have, haven't I! The Dark Lord will appreciate the favor,he will. I'll exterminate the blood traitors once and for all. I may even get a shot at Potter!," Draco's eyes turned to his mother quickly and her face was stained pink, "Too bad, Cissy, you and Draco enjoy staying in then," with a slightly disgusted look at the pair, Bellatrix was gone.

He turned to his mother the second his aunt had gone. If Bella was going to be near Potter he would be near Granger.

"What is she talking about, Mother?," He said, his voice all too calm.

She stared at him, not mumbling a word. His patience was slipping all too quickly, his hands balling into nervous fists.

"Mother, tell me where she's going," He said a bit louder, his brow wrinkling in distress, "Tell me!,"

He was shouting now, something he never did in the presence of his mother.

"I couldn't tell you, Draco," She whispered, a tear running down her cheek, "I could tell long before you could. I knew how... obsessed you had become with her,"

His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. She had kept it from him, she knew the whole day what awaited Hermione tonight. Yet, she never said a mumbling word.

"I can't have my only son losing his life over some girl," She murmured, more to herself than to Draco.

"Mother," He tried to say over her rambling but she did not hear, "MOTHER!," his voice echoed through the high ceilinged study.

Her head snapped up, her eyes slightly fearful as her son spoke again, "Where. Is. She?,"

She began to shake her head in protest but he gripped her arms, forcing her to face him. "She's gone to set it on fire while they sleep," She whispered eerily.

"Where, mother, where has she gone!," He yelled, his voice cracking with worry.

"The Burrow," She whispered, meeting his eyes warily.

Narcissa began to beg her son to stay but it was too late. He was already gone.


End file.
